discriminate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit; show partiality.
The new law discriminates against foreigners. He discriminates in favor of his relatives.
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to note or observe a difference; distinguish accurately.
to discriminate between things.
verb (used with object)
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to make or constitute a distinction in or between; differentiate.
a mark that discriminates the original from the copy.
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to note or distinguish as different.
He can discriminate minute variations in tone.
adjective
verb
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(intr; usually foll by in favour of or against) to single out a particular person, group, etc, for special favour or, esp, disfavour, often because of a characteristic such as race, colour, sex, intelligence, etc
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to recognize or understand the difference (between); distinguish
to discriminate right and wrong
to discriminate between right and wrong
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(intr) to constitute or mark a difference
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(intr) to be discerning in matters of taste
adjective
Synonym Usage
See distinguish.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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discriminatornoun
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prediscriminateverb (used with object)
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half-discriminatedadjective
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undiscriminatedadjective
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discriminatelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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discriminatesimple
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discriminatessimple
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have discriminatedperfect
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has discriminatedperfect
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am discriminatingprogressive
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are discriminatingprogressive
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is discriminatingprogressive
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have been discriminatingperfect progressive
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has been discriminatingperfect progressive
Past
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discriminatedsimple
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had discriminatedperfect
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was discriminatingprogressive
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were discriminatingprogressive
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had been discriminatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of discriminate
First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin discrīminātus “separated,” past participle of discrīmināre “to separate”; see discriminant
Explanation
When you discriminate between two things, you can tell the difference between them and can tell them apart. The ability to discriminate between similar objects is important. For example, if you want to be a good root farmer, it helps if you can discriminate between a turnip and a parsnip. However, some people take it too far and discriminate against other people, treating them differently based on their physical characteristics or abilities. To be able to discriminate between a turnip and a radish is good, but to discriminate against people is not.
Vocabulary lists containing discriminate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As a condition of being tax-exempt, nonprofit private schools must attest that they won’t discriminate based on race, color, or national or ethnic origin.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
If there was a minor traffic infraction or other probable cause to make a stop, proving their motive requires them to confess to acting with intent to discriminate, Willis said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Mulan Build "sends a message: if these platforms choose to discriminate against us, we do not need to rely on them", she said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Epilepsy Action said all employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act to not discriminate and provide reasonable adjustments for employees with epilepsy.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Snyder struck it down on Feb. 9, writing that she was “constrained” to do so because the exemption of state police “unlawfully discriminates against federal officers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
The pair are part of a group of around 40 veterans who have been rejected for the payment, and say the scheme's criteria unfairly discriminates against lower-ranking veterans who felt forced out of the military.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of the court’s three liberal justices, said the Idaho law discriminates against people based on their sex or gender identity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
Roberts attempted to sidestep this problem by claiming that Tennessee’s law only discriminates on the basis of age and “medical use.”
From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025
That’s where the wider understanding of race comes in: he discriminates between sedition and mistaken ideals.”
From The Shadow of the Past by Young, F.E. Mills
Indonesia's immigration authorities have banned two Dutch nationals for organising an illegal running event that had also allegedly discriminated against locals.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Grover lodged an appeal against that verdict, but on Friday, the Federal Court dismissed it and further found that Tickle was directly - rather than indirectly - discriminated against by Grover.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
At the time, Snyder wrote she was “constrained” to block the mask ban because of a last-minute carve-out exempting state police, finding it discriminated against the federal government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Nike NKE 5.19%increase; green up pointing triangle is being asked to produce information related to allegations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that it discriminated against white workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 4, 2026
You are no longer eligible for food stamps; you may be discriminated against in employment; you cannot vote for at least twelve years; and you are about to be evicted from public housing.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
The chief justice declared that the way to end racial discrimination was to stop discriminating based on race.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race,” he declared in a simplistic tautology, “is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”
From Slate ● May 7, 2026
The Air Carrier Access Act prohibits commercial airlines from discriminating against passengers with disabilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 2026
Moscow accuses both countries of discriminating against Russian speakers.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
I have chosen you because of your discriminating eye, your intelligence, and your ability to think outside of convention.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
